In recent years, as a countermeasure to deal with illegal copies, for example, of luxury brand goods, machining tools, electronic components, and so forth, a method is employed in which a hologram sheet is employed as a display label, so as to allow customers to clearly distinguish commercial products from copy products. With regard to such hologram sheets, there are, for example, two types: one is a transparent type, and the other is a type having a reflecting layer to make the hologram easy to see. Such a display label is formed as follows. That is to say, as shown in FIG. 7, a sub-label Lb configured as a hologram sheet having a size that is smaller than that of a main label La and having an adhesive layer on its back face is bonded to a predetermined position on the main label La having a surface on which information is displayed, e.g., a position at which a printed barcode or the like is displayed. As a conventional method for manufacturing such a display label L, a method is known employing a main continuous label strip Ta having a structure in which multiple main labels La are arranged in series at predetermined intervals on a backing strip Da such that they are temporarily bonded to the backing strip Da, and a sub-continuous label strip Tb having a structure in which multiple sub-labels Lb are arranged in series at predetermined intervals on a backing strip Db such that they are temporarily bonded to the backing strip Db. By means of a known conventional label printer, required information is printed on the main labels La of the main continuous label strip Ta, thereby providing the main labels La. Furthermore, by means of a known conventional label supply apparatus, the sub-labels Lb are provided from the sub-continuous label strip Tb. Subsequently, for example, the sub-labels Lb thus provided are manually taken off, and each sub-label Lb thus taken off is manually bonded to a main label La provided from the label printer.
However, such a manufacturing process in which each sub-label Lb is manually bonded to the main label La is troublesome, and thus automation of this process has been investigated. For example, a method is conceivable in which a manufacturing apparatus having the same configuration as that of a laminate label manufacturing apparatus (see Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2008-183872) proposed by the present inventor is employed. As shown in FIG. 8, a laminate label M has a structure in which a label piece Ma having a front face on which information is printed and having an adhesive layer on its back face is coated with a film piece Mb configured as a transparent film or otherwise a translucent film having approximately the same size as that of the label piece Ma. Such a laminate label M manufacturing apparatus employs a label piece continuous strip Qa having a structure in which the label pieces Ma are arranged in series at predetermined intervals on a backing strip Na such that they are temporarily bonded to the backing strip Na, and a film piece continuous strip Qb having a structure in which the film pieces Mb are arranged in series at predetermined intervals on a backing strip Nb such that they are temporarily bonded to the backing strip Nb. With such a method, by means of a label printer mechanism 100, the label piece continuous strip Qa is conveyed along its longitudinal direction. In the conveying operation, the required information is printed on each label piece Ma by means of a printing unit 101 while the label piece continuous strip Qa is conveyed. On the other hand, by means of a label bonding mechanism 102, the film piece continuous strip Qb is conveyed along its longitudinal direction. In the conveying operation, the backing strip Nb is folded back so as to separate each film piece Mb from the backing strip Nb. Each film piece Mb thus separated is held by attracting and holding by a attracting and holding plate 103 included in the label bonding mechanism 102, and is advanced toward and bonded to the corresponding label piece Ma of the label piece continuous strip Qa conveyed from the label printer mechanism 100.
Patent document: Patent Application Laid Open No. 2008-183872.